Grampians Health to provide speech pathology service in Edenhope

Grampians Health Edenhope is pleased to welcome Joy Harwood, a Speech Pathologist from its Horsham campus, to the Health & Wellbeing Hub.

Joy, who will be visiting the hub weekly, brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to her role. She has a profound passion for helping individuals of all ages improve their communication skills.

“In year nine, I came across speech pathology and found it incredibly intriguing,” said Joy, who’s always wanted to help people and work with them. “After spending three days of work experience with a speech pathologist in Ballarat during my year ten, I was hooked.

“I realised this was the career I wanted to pursue. I cherish the diversity in my role as a speech pathologist, as no two days are the same. From working with 18-month-olds for language assessments to helping 90-year-olds with swallow assessments in aged care facilities, every experience is unique.

“I also love being actively involved in the community, reaching out to places like Edenhope on Thursdays or engaging with kindergartens through our School Readiness program during the week."

The ability to increasingly collaborate across its multiple campuses to provide care closer to home has been one of the major wins of Grampians Health.

On such example is the launch of the "Stepping Stones to Literacy" program, which is developed by Grampians Health Horsham Speech Pathology and is currently available in both Horsham and Edenhope.

“The program caters to four-year-old kinder kids preparing to transition to school next year. It focuses on enhancing children's preliteracy skills, the foundational building blocks that promote reading and writing development once they enter school,” said Joy.

The program targets vital areas such as phonological awareness skills, where letters, sounds, and words are linked, and print concepts, encompassing various aspects related to understanding written language.

"The 'Stepping Stones to Literacy' program is conducted as a six-week group intervention during Term 3. Although it is a group-based approach, we tailor the support provided to each child based on their specific challenges and strengths related to the program's goals," said Joy.

"Following the conclusion of the group, there are different pathways for participants. Depending on a child's needs, they may continue with 1:1 therapy or have a review appointment to determine if further ongoing therapy is required."

Families interested in accessing the Edenhope speech pathology services can complete a self-referral by contacting the Edenhope Health and Wellbeing Hub at 5585 9830.

Referrals are also accepted from GPs, kinder teachers, allied health professionals, or Maternal and Child Health Nurses (MCHNs).